Accretion
by Podkopayeva
Summary: As if fighting Wade and a reanimated Lotor weren't enough, now Allura also had to navigate a power struggle between Keith and Lance, mentor three cadets, fly Blue Lion and rule a planet. A girl deserves a reward for all that responsibility, right?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello! *waves* I've been thinking about writing this pretty much since the new Voltron series premiered and reminded me just how much I loved this series back in the day as a kid. **Voltron Force** has bee a lot more entertaining than I'd anticipated thus far, and I keep gravitating back to the potential of the Keith-Lance headbutting they've shown thus far, and how much more awesome Allura had gotten. The silly girl of my youth has matured into a proper princess capable of managing the men around her, ruling her planet, flying her Lion and acting as a diplomat. What I'd like to see now is this new Allura discover herself as a woman.

Isn't it lucky there's so many potential suitors interested in her? *grins* I hope you all enjoy, and if so, I'd love to know what you think!

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><p>They were driving her <em>crazy<em>. Allura inhaled sharply through her nose, earning a knowing glance from Vince, who was flying Blue Lion with her. Several more insufferable minutes of incessant back-and-forth from Keith and Lance about whether to conduct reconnaissance or mount an assault had even the normally implacable cadet grimacing. Finally, with a strangled shriek, Allura slammed a hand down on the button for the inter-Lion comms system, effectively silencing the men. She could still _see _them snipe at one another on the video feed, of course, but it was better than nothing.

"Thank you," the cadet sighed fervently. "Not to be nosy or anything, but will they ever get this thing worked out?"

That seemed to be the golden question lately. Each additional mission, every robeast and foray by Wade's robots seemed to exacerbate the power struggle between Keith and Lance. Oh sure, they were friends and comrades, but the entire team could see the tension between them. Allura rolled her eyes. The castle staff could even see it- after a water main mysteriously burst one night (a night when, Allura noticed, Hunk and the cadets had inexplicably vanished for several hours after dinner), the staff had put the two men in rooms as far apart from one another as possible. "They're adults, Vince. Sooner or later, they'll realize they've been acting like... well, let's just say that both are far better men than they've been acting lately. In the mean time, we'll simply continue on as normal." She smiled back at the cadet over her shoulder. "Which means training. Speaking of which, I think you should take a turn at the controls now. I'd like to see you maneuver through the asteroid belt we'll be approaching shortly." Punching the comms button, Allura spoke calmly over the bickering filling the channel. "Approaching asteroid belt shortly, guys. I'm going to let Vince have a turn at the controls. Perhaps Larmina and Daniel could get some experience here, too?"

And that was enough to refocus everyone. Standing behind Vince and monitoring his progress, Allura shook her head. _Give it time,_ she told herself for what felt like the millionth time. _Keith and Lance are friends. They just need time to resettle into their roles on the team._ Even as she thought it, Allura knew it wasn't going to be that easy. Keith had been a team leader before the Voltron Force even formed, and had never relinquished the role. He was a born leader- self-possessed, reliable, trustworthy. He would always put the welfare of others ahead of his own. Lance had had to develop his leadership skills quickly after Voltron had been disbanded, thrust almost instantly from the rebellious hotshot to a closely watched flight instructor under Wade's nose. Surprisingly, he'd flourished with the sudden responsibility, and risen quickly through the ranks. While not a born leader like Keith, he'd made himself into a worthy one, nonetheless. The crux of the problem, however, was that while both men were outstanding as the guy in control, they were proving to be terrible at compromising and _sharing _the command.

"Danny boy and I are headed in for a closer look. We're just going to slingshot around that captured moon over there and come in on the dark side, take a quick peek around." Lance's face filled the monitor as he grinned sideways at the cadet sharing Red Lion's cockpit with him. "Whaddya say, kid? Want to go take a looksie at what our old boss Wade has been engineering way out here in the middle of nowhere?"

"Do I?" came the excited reply. "Oh, hey, we can even use my speed boost!"

"What you two can do is _stand down_," Keith ordered sternly. "I told you, we wait. We know from Pidge's intel that there'll be a shift change within the hour. Once that happens, we'll have an accurate idea of how many soldiers we'll be up against."

"Uh, yeah, sure we'll know how many warm bodies, Keith," Lance replied stubbornly. "That's awesome and all, but we know there'll be a crapload of Wadebots. So either way, it's guns hot. And I'd sure rather get in there _before _someone picks us up on radar, you know?"

Nudging Vince gently out of the pilot's seat, Allura retook the controls with a firm hand. "Look, you guys, save it. I'm with Keith. It's too risky to go in now."

The response was instantaneous, and stinging. "Of course you agree with Keith, Allura."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she fired back.

Lance frowned at her through the monitor. "Forget it, okay? Surveillance only. Got it. We'll do it Keith's way. _Again._"

Keith's solemn frown was not a good sign. "Like it or not, I'm still commander of the Voltron Force, Lance. What I say, goes."

Oh no. Allura could practically see Lance getting ready to blow his lid when Larmina cut in tentatively.

"Uh, guys? Maybe we should pay attention to that _giant laser array_ coming out of that security tower down there on the surface?"

The times when Allura was happy for a skirmish were few and far between, but this was one of them. She shoved the center stick forward and sent Blue Lion hurtling towards the space station below. She was sure the giant battle of egos would continue later, back on Arus. On the one hand, she longed for the uncomplicated time when they'd all been such a tight-knit unit. On the other, Allura knew they could never go back. They were different now, all of them, and only just discovering what that meant to each of them as individuals and as parts of a whole. As Black and Red Lions dove down to flank her and laser bursts began to flash around them like falling stars, Allura acknowledged the hard truth- the old team mold had cracked and been melted down into something new and different, and none of them would ever fit together the same way again.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for reading, and especially **Craze**, **raelee514**, **Mako1**, and **Prairie24** for the wonderful reviews! I really appreciated them- in fact, they kind of made my day!

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><p>Keith clapped his hands over his ears the second he stepped into the rec room, a pulsing beat thrumming in his chest and reverberating through his skin. "What is that awful racket?" Much to his chagrin, it was Lance who answered, casually draped out over a couch next to Hunk, the two of them perusing an aeronautical salvage catalogue like it was the latest issue of <em><strong>'Galactic Babes Gone Bad'<strong>_.

"Pidge is practicing, old man." At the befuddled look Keith gave him, Lance laughed. "He's a universally renowned DJ, Keith. Our little midget genius is all grown up." He shrugged and said louder, "Grown up to have crappy taste in music, if you ask me, but grown up nonetheless."

Pidge, who'd clearly heard Lance if the hand gesture he threw them was any indication, merely pulled out an enormous set of headphones and plugged them into the bank of equipment he was spinning on. Even then, the beat could clearly be heard in the suddenly quiet lounge.

"Ah," Lance sighed, reaching over to turn a page in the catalogue in Hunk's hands. "So much better. I must really be getting old- twenty minutes of Pidge's beats is enough to kill my hearing now. I used to be able to listen to the kid go for hours."

Hunk frowned at him and turned the page back. "I think his music is awesome. And I'm not done looking at that compression gasket yet, buddy." He pointed a thick finger at a picture. "Tell me that wouldn't be perfect for Sara."

"Sara?" Keith settled himself in the nearest chair, feeling a little like an outsider in his own team. He was getting those types of thoughts less and less as the days passed, but it was times like this that really drove home the fact that he'd barely interacted with any of them for over five years. They'd all had their roles to play after Voltron was disbanded, but the others had found ways, both out in the open and covertly, to communicate and see one another, but he... well, he'd tried to limit contact to short communiqués and only when absolutely necessary. There was no need to endanger any of them more than needed, but now that the team was reformed, Keith was beginning to see the flaw in his logic. They'd all moved forward, progressed in their lives, while he'd remained locked on his mission to find and free Black Lion. But now he was trying to remedy that, reinsert himself in the daily doings of the team.

A delighted, dreamy smile floated across Hunk's face. "Sara's my newest creation. She's beautiful, Keith- a real work of art."

Lance leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, "Sara's a truck. A big, chop rod Frankenstein truck with tires so big even Hunk needs a ladder to get in her." He ducked the big man's swipe at his head, but caught a cuff to the shoulder on Hunk's second try. "Oof! Oh, come on, big guy. You know she's gorgeous, okay?"

Nodding, Keith leaned forward and listened earnestly as Hunk described Sara to him in depth. It was time he rejoined the Voltron team as a person, and not just a pilot. "Sounds great. Tell me more."

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><p>"I don't see why I have to do this," Larmina complained, tugging at the neckline of the dress she wore like it was trying to choke her.<p>

Taking care to navigate the rocky path they were on, Allura followed her niece at a much more sedate pace. "Yes, you do," she explained patiently. "You're a princess of Arus, Larmina, and you know that means more than waving from a balcony and learning to pilot a Lion. We owe the people of this planet our best efforts, and that includes going out and speaking to our people, hearing their troubles, and sharing their burdens. We're only as good as the poorest farmer."

Ahead of her, Larmina used a boulder to hop a shallow stream instead of taking the small wooden bridge. "No, I mean why I have to wear this stupid dress, Aunt Allura." She yanked at the bodice again. "I feel like I'm suffocating. Why can't I wear my uniform like I always do?"

Ah ha. Sharing a knowing grin with the captain of their guard, Allura stepped onto the bridge, admiring the clear gurgling water beneath their feet. "Because you're not a child anymore. You're growing up into a young woman." Allura brushed a hand over her own gown, the material floating delicately under her fingers. "And our culture dictates that women dress in a feminine manner. Your uniform -and mine- are fine when we're dealing with training and flying, but you need to learn to embrace this, too. Arusian customs are just as important as those of other worlds. If you can't respect your own culture, how will you respect others when you represent our world in matters of state?"

Her speech was met with a loud groan. "I _knew_ you'd say that. I still think this sucks, for the record."

"Noted," Allura replied dryly. "Why don't we focus on something else to get your mind off it? How about your training, or how your studies are going?" she suggested.

Larmina snorted. "Boring. How about..." She trailed off, her cheeks reddening slightly as she slowed and waited for her aunt to catch up. "Can I ask you something?" Cutting her eyes at the soldiers, Larmina asked under her breath, "You know, privately?"

With a discreet hand signal, Allura notified the captain of the guard to fall back a few paces. "Of course," she agreed. "Anything at all. You know I'll always answer you to the best of my ability, Larmina. I've told you that a hundred times."

The young redhead blushed harder. "How do you... I mean, if you like somebody... _like_ like them..." Shaking her head fiercely, Larmina glared at her slippered feet. "How do you know if a guy likes you? Like really likes you?"

Allura smothered a grin. "Is there a particular boy you have in mind?"

The blush flared until the girl's entire face was as red as an Arusian appleberry. "No," she denied too quickly before amending, "Well, sort of. I... he..." She huffed. "Yeah. I guess so."

It warmed Allura's heart to hear Larmina stammer and stutter over a boy- she'd begun to despair of Larmina ever behaving like a normal, carefree girl after everything she'd been through as a child. Taking a deep breath, Allura tried to think back and grab that ephemeral feeling she'd had as a teenager of her first crushes. "Well, I suppose he pays attention to you- really listens to what you have to say, and he looks at you like..." Allura fumbled for the right words to describe the knowledge that a boy found you attractive and fascinating, until a face rose unbidden in her mind, a tanned face with piercing eyes and a mop of dark hair. Feeling her own face warm, Allura took a steadying breath. "When he looks at you, it feels like you're the only thing in the world. Even when you're joking, or arguing, it feels like nothing else around is quite as important to him as you. You feel special, and treasured, and so light that you're sure there must be butterflies in your belly making you lighter than air."

Larmina nodded. "And him? How do you know how he feels?"

The almost childish simplicity of the question stole Allura's breath and broke her heart just a little. "You know, Larmina. Even if he never finds the words, or the courage to give you the words, you'll know. The truth will be there in his eyes every time he looks at you, every time you accidentally touch." Sighing, Allura forcibly collected herself and pushed the youthful face of the Voltron Force commander from her memory. "You can't control feelings- not yours, and not anyone else's. All you can do is hope to meet a man to share your life with that will be honest with himself and you when it matters most. If he can't, then it doesn't matter if he loves you more than anything else in existence. Without truth and trust, attraction is nothing."

The remainder of the walk to Altair proper was completed in silence; Larmina absorbing her aunt's surprisingly sage advice, and Allura lamenting what could have been.

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><p>AN2: Now before anyone starts going, "Ah ha! I know where this story is headed, pairings wise!" I'm going to say that things aren't quite so clear cut as you might imagine at this point. I haven't finished the whole story yet, but I have gotten far enough to say that there are a few romantic false starts, two or three unrequited crushes, one missed opportunity, a spectacularly epic fail at a first kiss, and a wedding dress (and a partridge in a pear tree!) in the future. I know who ends up with whom, and I really hope you enjoy the story as it unfolds!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N:For **raelee514** and **Mako1**, who very sweetly left me reviews for the second chapter. Thank you both! I hope you like this chapter as well. :)

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><p>Pinching the bridge of his nose, Pidge winced. The dull pain that had been building behind his eyeballs all evening was finally blooming into a full-fledged headache. He took off his glasses and rubbed tiredly at his grainy eyes. Yeah, that wasn't going to cut it. Carefully replacing the glasses, he glanced at the holo-board all of his calculations were on. It was gnawing at him, this feeling that one of his equations was incorrect, and he kept going over and over the numbers in his head. All the math seemed right, and non-Euclidean geometry was child's play to him. As a matter of fact, it had been- he'd sailed right through his instructor's texts on it at the ripe old age of seven. He still couldn't shake the feeling he'd gone wrong somewhere.<p>

Standing and stretching, Pidge looked around the small area he'd appropriated in the control room, mentally checking that everything was in its correct place. His eyes fell on the bank of surveillance monitors, and he smiled. Camera One down on the first sub level showed Hunk and the cadets looking around furtively as they carted several full boxes of equipment in the direction of the catacombs. They thought they were being so covert, but it was starting to be a bit of an open secret that the big guy was helping them create their own lair. Cameras Two, Three and Four showed nothing more interesting than the night shift of Arusian Defense Forces patrolling corridors and weapons bays. Camera Five showed Keith where he usually was in his free time lately, the gym. Pidge noted with interest that he had the combat sim with Lotor dialed all the way up- huh. The commander must be frustrated about something. Seven showed Coran in the communications room, speaking seriously to a somber-looking blue female via hologram. Camera Eight, down in the kitchen, showed Lance doing his best to empty the cooks' stock of pastries, his booted feet propped on a tabletop and various confections arrayed around him.

Pidge grinned. For a guy with such a sweet tooth, it was a wonder Lance's real teeth hadn't rotted right out of his head. And it was a damned good thing Nanny had retired- if she had caught him, she'd have twisted one of his ears right off his head. Oh- uh oh. Allura was on Camera Nine, which was in the corridor leading to the kitchens. "Busted," he murmured to the screen. Lance was so going to hear it from the princess. She'd been on all of them to eat better lately.

Forgetting his headache for the moment, Pidge settled in to watch, wondering just how bad Allura was going to tear Lance a new one.

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><p>"Oh gods," Lance groaned, licking the dusting of powdered sugar off his fingers. Whatever that last pastry had been, it was delicious. He quickly surveyed the platter on the table next to him for more, but there had apparently only been one. "Damn," he muttered, reaching instead for what looked like an éclair, filling oozing temptingly out the side. "Hey!"<p>

Allura smiled with dark satisfaction as Lance almost toppled over when she slapped his hand, upsetting his balance on the hind legs of his chair. "Those," she said imperiously, "were not for you."

Putting on his best wounded expression, Lance tipped his head backwards and gazed at her upside down. "They were just sitting there, Allura. If they're not for us, then who are they for?"

Nudging him forward so that he set the chair down correctly, she moved around him to perch a hip on the countertop. "They're for a family in Altair, as a matter of fact. They just had the first surviving set of quadruplets in twenty years, Lance." She frowned at him. "And you just ate part of their congratulations basket." Craning her neck, she took stock of the inventory on the table. "Quite a big part, if I'm not mistaken."

"Aw, how was I supposed to know?" he pouted. "There weren't any signs or anything. Geez, you'd think with Hunk in the castle, they'd lock up the food at night or something."

"Unlike some other pilots I know, Hunk only takes the food marked 'Garrett' from the refrigerator." Allura folded her arms over her night dress. "It's on the same shelf as the food marked 'McClain.'"

"Yeah, well the cooks have been laying out some pretty unappetizing stuff lately," he replied, looking longingly at a heavily glazed doughnut. "Fish. Bean sprouts. Grilled mushrooms." He made a face. "_Kale_! I hate kale."

Allura rolled her eyes. All of the boys, less Keith, had been giving her a hard time about the healthier food the cooks had been serving them lately. What she'd failed to say yet was that it had all been her idea, one she'd had when Keith had made an offhanded insult to Lance and Hunk about going up a few sizes in their uniforms. "Keith brought up a very good point, Lance. All of us have gotten pretty out of shape, and the diet you, Hunk and Pidge lived on with the GA consisted of three food groups- fried, salted, and sugary."

Holding up a long finger, Lance grinned. "Forgot the fourth food group. Booze. Don't forget the booze. Essential for good mental health."

Allura snorted. "Exactly my point. Anyway, I know Keith is going to be implementing group physical training, and I figured it was the perfect time to get you boys eating well again." She readjusted the neckline of her gown absently, momentarily baring a long expanse of neck and chest. "And I don't care if you hate kale or not. It's good for you, and if I have to sit on you and shove it down your throat, I will." With a wrinkle of her nose, Allura looked pointedly at the table. "Because at this rate, Daniel will be piloting the Red Lion in a few years while you recover from a heart attack."

One eyebrow rose in interest as Allura accidentally flashed a good portion of her chest at him while she fixed her nightgown. Nothing really naughty, of course, but still- a guy could always wish. Lance cleared his throat as she started to yammer on about kale, and she just had to go and throw in some imagery of her sitting on him and feeding him for good measure. _Evil woman_, Lance thought with relish, picturing a scenario involving Allura, pastries, and assisted eating.

"Are you even listening to me?" Allura snapped when she caught the faraway look in his eyes. "Lance?" Striking out, she kicked the leg of his chair lightly with her foot. "Lance!"

"Huh?" He snapped back to reality. "Yeah, got it. Kale, good. Keith, training. Lance, bad. I've heard this one before, Allura, you don't have to repeat it."

Shaking her head, Allura began to clear the table, methodically reassembling the pastry platter as best as she could. "Maybe I should just tell Cook that we'll all be going vegetarian." She smiled at the look of utter horror on his face. "Or you could just promise to lay off the sweets and start trying more vegetables at dinner."

He could just picture the abomination of a meal without good old fashioned meat. Lance shuddered. "Okay, okay, I'll eat your stupid kale," he capitulated with a childish sigh that sent his chestnut hair puffing up for a moment. "Happy?"

"Thrilled," she replied placidly. "Now help me clean this up and get it put away. If Cook found out you ate half the Scaratos' platter, she'll spit in your food for a month."

They worked together in silence for a moment before he asked, "You don't _really_ think she'd spit in my food, do you?"

Allura turned to grin at him and discovered Lance had risen to help her put the platter back on the main work surface when she smacked face first into his chest. "Oof!" One of his big hands came up to steady her, wrapping around her elbow, fingers long and warm and calloused on the delicate skin on the inside of her arm. She blinked at the nervous, fizzy feeling tingling its way through her belly.

"Steady on there, Allura," Lance murmured, catching her arm to help her balance when she bounced off him, platter tilting precariously in her grasp. "I've got you." She looked like she'd checked out for a minute there. "Hello, anyone in there? Wake up, sweetheart." When Allura blinked big green eyes at him, a frisson of awareness shot through him like a laser blast. Lance thought he'd done a pretty good job over the years of hiding how he felt about her, had even convinced himself that it was just love for a comrade mingling with admiration for a good ruler and lust for a rocking body and face. It'd been pretty easy to talk himself into believing it- after all, who else had to face such a potent triple threat? It was a natural reaction, one that anybody would have in his situation. Still, every now and then, something would happen that would shove his feelings right in his face.

Something like this.

Lance swallowed once, hard, his Adam's apple bobbing, a sight Allura found far more fascinating than she should. It was just an Adam's apple, she told herself- she was virtually surrounded with them in her life. Aside from Larmina and some of the castle staff, she spent entirely too much time around men. Men with smelly feet, who thought napkins were for balling up, that belching could make a game and that eating was a competitive sport. Lance was guilty of all those things. He also had a very fascinating Adam's apple, which was currently bobbing nervously as he stared down at her.

"Thanks," she croaked finally, remembering the platter in her hand and gripping it firmly, using it as an excuse to break eye contact and step around him. Busying herself with putting the pastries away gave her the time she needed to recompose herself. "Anyways, I want you to give Cook's creations a try. They're really delicious if you give them a chance."

He made a ridiculous face, sticking his tongue out like a child. "But _vegetables_, Allura? Yech. What are you trying to do, kill me? My digestive system wouldn't know what to do with vegetables." He appreciated her efforts to lighten the strangely tense atmosphere and was perfectly okay with going along with it.

Allura smiled. "Would it make you feel better if I have them serve beer with your vegetables?"

"Don't make me kiss you," Lance quipped. "Beer makes everything better." Damn. And suddenly things were strange again, all big, blinking eyes and furtive glances and squirming stomachs. Lance could have kicked himself. Instead, he straightened up and took the coward's path for a change. "Okay, well good night then. Tell the Scarpettos congrats and all, and sorry I ate their delicious, fantastic desserts."

The urge to roll her eyes was nearly overwhelming. "Scaratos, Lance. Sca-Ra-Tos. And given your -shall we say- taste testing, I think it would be nice if you were there helping Larmina and me deliver this tomorrow."

"Aw, come on, Allura! You know I wanted to take Red out for some calibration and target practice," he groaned. "Can't Keith do it? He loves all that glad-handing stuff. I feel slimy doing it, like I'm trying to bribe people into liking me."

She shook her head. "They like you just fine, Lance. The Voltron Force are all heroes to the people of our planet. But serving those people and their communities isn't just my responsibility; when you accepted our offer of Arusian citizenship, it became your responsibility too." Allura gave him a pat on the shoulder. "So I'll see you bright and early out in the courtyard."

As she walked out of the kitchen, the skirt of her nightgown swishing behind her, Lance took the opportunity to admire the view. "Yes, mother!" he called out after her, earning him a tinkling laugh from Allura as she continued on her way.

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><p>Pidge smirked as he turned away from the bank of security monitors. Looked like the next time Lance teased him about his music, he'd have some fresh ammunition to get back at him with.<p>

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><p>AN: I hope you all enjoyed it and remember- reviews are love! :)


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I'm really thrilled so many of you are enjoying the story so far. I hope you like this chapter, too!

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><p>Keith surveyed the team surrounding him with satisfaction. Larmina and Pidge looked bright-eyed and ready, but the rest were just standing around with sleep-crusted eyes and vacant expressions. He clapped his hands. "Morning, team! As I'm sure you all know by now, we're re-instituting physical training. It's important that we are in peak condition, not only as pilots of Voltron, but also soldiers. While we may not exactly be part of the Galaxy Alliance military anymore, we're all still members of the Arusian Defense Force." He smiled at Allura. "And we can't let down our planet, so here's the plan. This morning we'll be conducting a three mile run. Tomorrow, Hunk will be leading us in the weight room, and the following day, I'll be conducting a session on hand to hand combat. Lance, I want you, Pidge and Allura to think about what sort of physical training sessions you want to lead the team in. Report to me with the details no later than end of day tomorrow."<p>

Lance yawned. "That's great, Keith, but did we really have to do this at the butt crack of first dawn?"

The commander frowned. "For somebody who was in charge of an entire flight academy, I'd think you'd be a little more on the ball with training, Lance." He locked eyes with his second in command. "So, yeah, first dawn is it. It's time we got a little discipline back around here."

The cadets milled around together, Daniel grumbling under his breath about breakfast while Vince just wove unsteadily on his feet and Larmina chattered on about the benefits of starting the day with exercise.

Figuring that the others would follow her lead and stop arguing, Allura began to stretch out. "What's the path we'll be running, Keith?"

Grateful to her for getting things back on track and more than a little distracted by the sight of Allura bending down gracefully to touch her toes, Keith flushed a little. "I've marked out the path along the cliff trail. I want everyone staggered according to ability. Allura, you'll be leading Larmina, Pidge and Vince out first. When you hit the orange marker, turn around and head back here to the starting point. Lance, you, Daniel and Hunk will be with me. We'll give the princess' group a six minute head start. First person across the finish line from each group will get a free 'Get Out of Training' pass to use one time in the future."

Pidge brightened. "Great! I ought to be a shoo in for my group," he said to Hunk, who was looking a little crestfallen.

"Not me," Hunk said on a groan. "Geez, have you ever seen Daniel run? That kid can really make tracks. And Keith- oh man, I used to think he could run forever." He hauled up a massive leg to stretch his quad, putting a big hand on Pidge's shoulder for support. "I'm gonna get creamed."

Eyeing the others, Lance gave in with a snort and began to stretch out as well. A day off from Keith's torture sessions? Hell, he'd run himself into the ground for that. He sized up the competition. Hunk was no obstacle. The big guy could run three miles, but he'd never be winning any speed competitions. Daniel, while fast, just didn't have long enough strides to really pose a threat, he thought. Keith on the other hand… Lance winced. The guy could always run like the wind, and it seemed like he had the endurance of a professional athlete in the old days. Hopefully his time as a space cowboy didn't give him much opportunity for exercise.

"All right, team, let's line up," Keith called, pulling out a stopwatch. "Allura, Group One, are you ready?" He was psyched. Maybe what everyone needed was a little team bonding, some shared endorphins to get back on track. He missed the old days, when things were a lot more simple and straightforward, when the camaraderie came naturally.

Lance winked at Allura. "Kick some tail, Allura. Maybe we can use our free passes together to head out for breakfast one of these days. There's a great little restaurant down in the town that has killer doughnuts."

She grinned back. "I think you've met your doughnut quota this week, Lance. And don't forget- you're coming with me this afternoon to the Scaratos."

He gave a theatrical sigh. "Yes, Princess."

Larmina sidled up and planted her hands on her hips with a competitive smile. "Hate to burst your bubble, Lance, but I'm gonna wipe the floor with my group. Guess that means _I_ get some tasty doughnuts from the diner, right?"

He reached out and ruffled her hair. "Sure thing, Meanie. You and I will go clean them right out of powdered and glazed and filling. But I wouldn't be so sure you've got this in the bag- your aunt can be pretty quick when she wants to be. Take it from a guy who's chased her."

"Hey!" She ducked away from him. "How many times do I have to tell you?" Larmina huffed, her clear blue eyes flashing. "Don't. Call. Me. Meanie!" Behind them, Daniel snorted with laughter, and she whirled with a venomous glare. "Laugh and die, Daniel."

Lance thought the boy might actually be developing a sense of self-preservation, because he swallowed the laughter so quickly it sent him into a coughing fit.

"Okay!" Keith interjected, forcing down a bubble of annoyance at the ease with which Lance teased and propositioned Allura. Yeah, things were _definitely_ different. Lance used to know that Keith had feelings for her, and had respected that. "On my mark, Group One. Three, two, one- Mark!"

Pidge, Allura, Vince and Larmina took off from the starting line. Larmina bolted, shooting out at top speed, while Vince followed closely. Unconsciously, Keith and Lance mirrored one another, each shaking their heads. The two cadets were going to burn themselves out in a speed duel long before they hit the finish line. Allura and Pidge were taking a more measured approach, setting sustainable paces.

"My money's on Pidge," Hunk said loyally.

Lance perked up. "Do I hear a bet, Hunk? 'Cause I'll take it. Allura by at least a hundred feet." He watched the first group disappear around a bend in the trail. "Twenty Arusian dollars?"

Hunk thought about it for a moment before nodding. "You're on."

Daniel inserted himself between them with a grin. "I want in on it, too. I've got my money on Larmina."

"Sure you do, kid," Lance said slyly. "And we're all shocked by that, too. Shocked, I tell you." He smirked at Hunk. "Aren't you shocked, big guy?"

"Totally," Hunk replied with a small smile. Personally, he thought the kid's crush on Larmina was cute. After all, most guys at that age went for girls they had no chance of landing. He sure had. Heck, he still did.

Again, it was the small things like this that left Keith feeling isolated, left out. He didn't think it was intentional, but he couldn't help but feel like Lance had just inserted himself into his place, leaving nothing left for Keith to do once he'd finally returned. He had to fight just to carve out a new niche for himself, and he resented the hell out of it. "Can we dissect your and Daniel's unrequited crushes later, Lance? It's time for our group to line up." He grinned at his second in command, eyes hard. "May the best man win."

Lance grinned back, teeth bared like a lion. "Oh, I intend to, Keith."

Up until that moment, Keith had been planning to let Daniel win. Hunk just wasn't built for race running with his bulk, and Keith knew Lance had been lax in his fitness over the last few years. Daniel, on the other hand, was a pretty fit kid and could use the experience of crafting a race plan to win instead of just winging it. He wanted to encourage him to use his brain instead of just half-assing it and hoping for the best, like he'd been prone to do thus far. But the plan was going to change. Someone needed to take Lance down a notch or twelve.

Keith smiled darkly as they lined up, catching Lance's eye down the line. That someone was going to be him.

* * *

><p>Allura passed Vince just before the halfway mark, impressed when he rallied to keep pace with her for several dozen strides. She had just established a lead on Pidge, gradually lengthening her stride to ease the stitch forming in her side. She had Larmina in her sights, but she wasn't sure she could catch her. Despite what Lance thought, Larmina could run, and run hard. If she wanted to catch her in time… Allura pumped her arms harder, mouth thinned in determination. Maybe she'd lose, but it wouldn't be for lack of trying.<p>

The pounding of feet alerted Pidge to the arrival of the second group. _Dang! They'd made up ground fast!_ he thought, running just a little harder despite the pain in his ribs. When he'd made the turn at the halfway point, they'd been almost a quarter mile back. But now, Lance, Keith and Daniel were running almost neck and neck as they whooshed around him like he was standing still. Pidge frowned. Now granted, he'd never been the most physically blessed of the bunch, but this was just humiliating. He picked up his pace and locked his eyes on Keith's back. Follow the leader.

Daniel was panting hard, wishing for his voltcom. He could've been back at the castle and eating breakfast by now if he had it. Still, he'd hung with Keith and Lance this long. He could do it for another mile- surely they had less than that by now. He listened to the sound of Keith's measured breathing just ahead of him and tried to sync his breathing to the Voltron commander's. In. Out. In. Out. Push, Daniel, come on. You can do this. He ran harder.

He was dying- Lance was sure of it. So far he'd refused to yield, but he had to admit that Keith was in the better shape. The first mile had been cake, and they'd both held about a five minute pace with ease, Daniel trucking along between them. The second mile had burned more, but the exhilaration of catching and passing the first group had seen him through. Lance had always been a fan of the power of the chase, and few things were more tempting to chase after than the sweet sight of a female rear end. Allura's, in particular. He'd had his eyes locked on her since the moment he'd rounded the halfway marker. Next to him, Keith was beginning to lengthen out his stride again, starting a final push for the finish. Damn. Lance swallowed past a knot of nausea and did the same.

This felt great. Keith listened to the harsh breathing of Lance and Daniel, competitive joy welling up in him. He was the better runner, and he knew it. In fact, he'd had a lot of practice running –from enemies- over the last seven years, while the others had slacked off in his absence.

Still, each and every team member he'd seen thus far had been running their hardest, not giving in just because they had no hope of winning. Hunk had fallen back when he'd caught up to Vince, who was by far the weakest runner of the group. Peering quickly over his shoulder, Keith confirmed what he'd expected to see- Hunk rallying the cadet, acting as moral support and running partner. They would cross the finish line together.

When they'd passed Pidge, he'd noticed the much smaller man grimace in concentration and pick up his pace, determined to make a good showing. One thing he could always count on Pidge for was giving things his all- unlike some other team members, Pidge was all in.

Daniel was hanging tough with him, but he felt sure the cadet didn't have anything left in the tank for that final sprint to the finish line. Lance… he wasn't so sure about Lance. He could be a stubborn idiot when he wanted, and Keith didn't put it past him to literally run himself to death just to prove a point to him.

They were only a half mile from the finish line now, and closing fast on Allura and Larmina. Larmina was slowing up, foundering in the homestretch from burning so much speed in the beginning. Keith could tell he'd have to stress patience and strategy with that one, and that she'd likely turn out just as stubborn as Lance. Still, she was holding off Allura, speeding up as her aunt pulled even. Keith grinned. Allura was letting her win- he could tell.

Allura gasped, each breath feeling like a searing hot poker in her side. The simple orange cone marking the finish loomed in her eyesight, flashing like a promise from the heavens. She made another effort at drawing even with Larmina, but her niece would glance sideways at her and grimace before putting on another burst of speed. Allura had no idea where she was getting it from, because she was completely gassed. _Ten more strides_, she cajoled herself. _Come on, Allura, run hard. Five. Four. Three. Two. One._ She stumbled across the finish line, still more than a full stride behind Larmina, who was grinning in ecstasy. Oh, thank the spirits- done. Shambling to the side as Larmina crowed about the sweet taste of victory, Allura put her hands on her head as she heaved for air and turned to watch the guys fast approaching the finish. Her eyes widened.

Daniel was running as hard as he could, but it felt like his feet were made of lead and his lungs half the size they were at the start. On either side of him, Keith and Lance had started to pull ahead, each man quickly pushing into a final sprint for the finish line. He couldn't hear anyone behind him, so Daniel dialed it back just a little as he watched the two commanders battle it out in front of him. _Yeah, there's no way I could keep up with them now_, he thought consolingly before a mischievous grin lit his features. _At least, not without my voltcom. Then they'd be eating my dust._

Lance gritted his teeth and sucked air in hard and fast, doing his best to ignore the pain in his lungs. He pumped his arms and pushed for that last little burst of speed- he was not going to lose to Keith, not after all those snide little comments he'd been making to him since he'd returned with Black Lion. This was his chance, his chance to beat Keith on his own turf and silence him once and for all. He caught Keith's profile out of the corner of his eye, pulling ahead. Lance dug in, summoning everything he had left.

It caught Keith by surprise when Lance shot forward just after he'd pulled ahead. He'd been sure that would've been the final nail in Lance's coffin. They were only feet from the finish line, and Keith had thought that Lance seeing him lead out this close to the end would seal it. He scowled, and pushed with all his strength for those last drops of speed.

They crossed the finish line together, Keith panting hard, Lance a distinctly ugly shade of green. "I won," he croaked, before turning off the path and puking his guts out. Larmina made a strangled noise of distress before clapping her hands over her ears and turning away.

"The sight of someone else being ill makes her nauseous," Allura explained to Keith, her face suffused with a becoming flush as she still tried to recover her breath. "Even when she was a little girl."

Keith nodded, still too winded to make a reply. He reached out and clapped Daniel on the shoulder as he crossed the finish line for a job well done.

Daniel was panting, bent over with his hands on his knees. "Couldn't tell from behind… who won?"

Allura smiled at him. This one reminded her so much of Lance sometimes. "Larmina did."

"No, I meant between Keith and Lance."

With a final deep breath, Keith smiled at the cadet. "Good job, Daniel. I didn't expect you to keep up with me as well as you did. I'm impressed." He paused. "And I won."

"Like hell you did," came the weak retort from behind a scraggly bush.

Keith rolled his eyes. "Give it up, Lance. I had you, and you know it."

The other man emerged back onto the trail, face pale and eyes watering, but mouth quirked in his typical grin. "Only in your dreams, Keith. I got you on the last step, and _you_ know it."

Allura and Larmina shared a very feminine look, one that clearly said, _Men!_ "It was a dead heat," Allura finally said. When they both glared at her in disgust, she raised her hands. "No, really. You two were nose and nose."

"Which means I win, since I've got the bigger nose," Lance quipped.

Keith smirked. "Thanks to me. You'd have never broken it that first time without my help."

Pursing his lips, Lance ran his hand over the nose in question. "I wouldn't exactly call elbowing me in the face and breaking my nose 'help,' Keith."

"What?" He shrugged innocently. "We were sparring."

"You did it twice!" Lance shot back. "I still say you were sore over that whooping I gave you in boxing."

Pidge, who'd turned back and jogged to Hunk and Vince, crossed the finish line with the other two as a team. "Great job!" he said to Vince. "See? We knew you could do it."

"Yeah, little buddy. You did awesome," Hunk added with a heavy pat on the cadet's shoulder, sending the much smaller boy stumbling. "Teamwork can make even the hardest tasks easier."

Keith and Lance looked at each other in shame at Hunk and Pidge's words and actions as Allura glared at them both pointedly. They'd let their little competition get the best of them, while Hunk and Pidge had done exactly what this exercise was supposed to do- build camaraderie and teamwork.


	5. Chapter 5

Balancing the platter on one hand, Lance swatted at the bugs swarming in front of his face. "And the reason we all couldn't have hopped in Red was what, again?"

Allura smiled placidly. "Because I wanted you to appreciate all the hard work Cook had to put into baking replacements for the pastries you ate." She brushed aside a low-hanging branch blocking the path, holding it until Lance and Larmina had passed. "And that means walking, and it means you get to carry the load the entire way. They smell heavenly, by the way. Cook outdid herself."

Lance had to agree. The delicious scents wafting up to his nose were enough to make his mouth water, and his stomach rumbled hollowly in agreement. If only Allura had let him have ten more minutes after physical training, he'd have had time to swing through the kitchen and make himself a quick sandwich. Instead, he'd barely had time to shower, dig out a clean uniform and brush the nasty taste of vomit off his teeth before meeting her and Larmina in the courtyard.

"Well I don't know about you guys, but I am _definitely_ going to be stopping at Meme's Diner after we drop this stuff off. I'm starving!" Larmina emphasized her point by rubbing at her flat stomach. "Turns out kicking your aunt's butt in a race is hungry business!"

Lance grinned- he could kiss that kid. He looked at Allura solemnly. "As her custodian, it's your duty to make sure she doesn't go hungry, Allura. Looks like we'll be making a little pit stop, huh?" he asked, unable to repress a giddy laugh. Meme's made a soup, sandwich and pie combo that could reduce a grown man to tears. In fact, it had- more than once. Hunk's eyes watered if you mentioned their peach cobbler a la mode.

He was _so_ transparent, Allura thought in amusement. "Maybe," she said mildly. "But I have a meeting I need to get back for, so I think we'll let Larmina run over and place her order while you and I visit with the Scaratos. You can eat while we walk home, right, Larmina?"

Larmina jumped up and caught a branch, swinging herself forward to land lightly a dozen feet ahead. "Sure, no problem." Suddenly, her face scrunched in displeasure. "I don't have to sit in on that dumb meeting, do I?"

"No." Allura winced inwardly at the thought of Larmina in a multi-hour discussion of the importation of Helenian grains. She'd been trying to gradually draw her niece into more matters of state, but the mundane details of rule were not her strong point. She'd sat raptly through a four day conference on Arus joining an intergalactic sporting alliance, but a two hour discussion on import/export tax levies had rendered her actually unconscious- Larmina had fallen asleep at the table, drooling onto her arm. "There is a series of talks scheduled for next week on possibly electing a head of Arusian Sports and appointing a council to oversee youth and amateur teams. Maybe you'd like to attend those with Coran?"

Larmina gave her a look that said very clearly what she thought. "Uh… yeah!"

"They're being held in Sindath, right?" Lance asked.

Allura missed a step in surprise. Lance was not one for knowing the political schedule, or showing any interest in the process at all. Keith? Yes. Lance? No. "They are," she replied, amazement in her voice.

With a wry twist of his lips, Lance dipped his head towards Larmina. "Not as dumb and oblivious as I look, huh, Allura?" He ignored her protests to add, "Hey, Meanie, here's the deal. If you want to go with Coran, you gotta do three extra hours of Lion practice with either me or Keith between now and then, plus another three in the sims. And when you go, I want _you_ to fly the short-hop transport, not Coran. Got it?"

Turning, the teenager bestowed a black look on him and punted a small rock clear off the path. "I swear, if you call me Meanie one more time, I'm going to-"

"What? Flounce away in your pretty princess dress?" Lance teased, hitting her where it hurt. He knew Larmina hated the girly confections Allura had been stuffing her into for official outings lately. "Besides, you've been Meanie to me since you shoved your first boulder off the castle walls, and you'll still be Meanie when you're all grown up and ruling Arus while I'm in the Voltron Force nursing home for doddering old pilots."

That earned him a laugh. "You are _so_ lame. You know that, right?"

Shifting the blasted platter to his other hand to allow circulation back into the first, Lance winked. "Sure- I'm an adult. But unlike other adults… say a certain too serious pilot whose name rhymes with wreath… I'm at least aware that I'm lame. And don't forget the deal- I want all of those flight hours logged, Larmina."

"Yes, Lance," she sing-songed with a roll of her eyes.

Allura stepped in closer to Lance. "You know I try not to infringe on your plans for the cadets' training, but what's with the conditions?"

The depth of the sigh that tore from his lips surprised them both. "Look, I know you and Keith don't want to acknowledge it, but Larmina –and even Vince, to a degree- just is not a natural when it comes to piloting. She needs time… a LOT of extra time behind the controls of every ship, Lion and sim I can stuff her in."

"I think she's been doing well," Allura defended.

"Sure, fantastic- if she was a regular spoiled princess from some coddled, peaceful corner of the galaxy. But she's a member of Voltron, and we've been getting hit pretty hard here lately. Chances are one of us is going to get hurt bad enough to knock us out for awhile at some point, and I want all three cadets capable of filling in when that happens."

They walked in silence for a moment before Lance added, "And really, Allura, both my hands are numb. You want to stop being princess for a minute and give a guy a hand here?"

Shaking her head, Allura reached for the platter. "Sissy," she teased.

* * *

><p>He was uncomfortable- massively so, and he had been for awhile now.<p>

Lance had steeled himself before Allura had knocked on the door of a quaint house with a neatly kept garden and a laundry line that looked like it would collapse any second under the weight of all of the clothes on it. He'd handed over the platter and allowed her to introduce him with his most charming grin, swallowing down the squirming sense of wrongness as he stood there shaking hands with the man and accepting a hug from the new mother. Four hand-woven baby baskets sat side by side next to the table, and the urge to get away amplified.

When Larmina was excused to go to the diner, he wanted to slither out after her. Allura really should have brought Keith. He was great at this crap- honest, likeable, easy, everything Lance normally was, but for some reason it disappeared behind a gnawing sense of inadequacy. Lance jumped as a baby was deposited in his arms.

"Here," Allura said, gently transferring the infant she'd been given into Lance's hands. He'd been getting quieter and quieter until he'd hit the point where she was sure he'd find some excuse soon to escape. With a baby in his arms, he had no choice but to park his bottom in a chair and sit calmly. "Mrs. Scarato would like to introduce us to the babies."

"Goetz, Pandar, Kandra, and Vasco," the woman said proudly, cradling one baby to her chest and handing off another to Allura. "They're one month old tomorrow. My husband is holding Vasco, this is Goetz. Princess, that is Pandar, and Commander Lance, you're holding my daughter, Kandra."

Looking down at the tiny –oh gods, _so_ tiny!- serene bundle in his arms, Lance felt his throat tighten. He'd never held a baby before. Was he doing it right? Was he going to hurt it? Looking around furtively, he had a moment of panic before realizing he was holding the infant the same way the mother was. And if she was doing it wrong they were all doomed, so he figured he was probably safe enough. "Uh, hi Kandra," he whispered, feeling stupid. Did babies understand speech yet? Probably not, but it was easier talking to and focusing on the baby instead of the Scaratos and Allura. He ducked his head lower, restricting the conversation to him and the sleepy-eyed baby watching him. "Welcome to Arus. You and your brothers are pretty lucky, you know. First quadruplets in a long, long time. Anyway, I figure that means you guys are destined for charmed lives, big things. But in the meantime, try not to drive your parents crazy, let Mom get some sleep now and then and, uh, eat your vegetables. You know, when you're actually old enough to eat them."

The smile that dawned on Allura's face was so wide it hurt her cheeks. He was so awkwardly sweet she couldn't help but melt, and a quick glance at Mrs. Scarato showed that she wasn't the only one. The woman looked ready to burst into happy tears.

The baby blinked up at him and opened her tiny rosebud mouth, gurgling. Lance grinned. Wow. "You're a cute little thing, you know that?" The terror of holding such a helpless little life suddenly eased, and Lance took the chance of shifting, holding the baby up closer to his chest so he could look at her better. She had wisps of dark hair here and there, but was largely bald. The eyes were a strange dark blue, almost black, and she had the same pale, peachy skin as most Arusians. The thought occurred to him that she kind of looked like a baby Keith might have someday, if the mother was pale-skinned like an Arusian. When Kandra reached up to wave her little fist in the air, he marveled at how extraordinarily tiny those little fingernails were. Tentatively, he supported her in one arm and met that little fist halfway, the tip of his finger not much smaller than her entire hand. "You're too young to be holding boys' hands, honey," he said around a smile. "Your dad may get out his gun and have a little target practice if he sees us. You know, with me as the target."

At that, Mrs. Scarato _did_ burst into tears, sending the other three adults scrambling to place babies in baskets and fetch tissues and press the woman into a chair.

"What'd I say?" Lance whispered urgently to Allura as Mr. Scarato murmured into his wife's hair, hugging the woman tightly. "Did I do something wrong? I thought I was doing good!"

The sheer panic in Lance's eyes had Allura quickly grasping his shoulders and forcing him to look at her. "You were doing beautifully. I told you, you're fine at this sort of stuff. I don't know where this… sense of inadequacy has come from, but it's silly. Keith is not the only one of you good with the people." She smiled gently. "And I think she's crying because she's a new mother with four babies, lots of hormones, and very little sleep. Watching you being so perfectly sweet with her only daughter probably just sent her over the edge. Give her a few minutes- she'll be all right."

Allura was right. As quickly as the crying jag began, it subsided again, and the Scaratos began to apologize profusely. After assuring them that it was normal and that they had nothing to be sorry for, Allura gently reminded them that she had meetings back at the castle to attend. "But if you'll allow it, I'd like it if we could stop by on occasion to see you and your beautiful babies. Of course, it goes without saying that we think you all are a symbol of our future, of the hope and progress Arus continues to enjoy. If there is anything, and I do mean anything, that we can do for your family, I hope you won't hesitate to ask."

By the time they'd made their goodbyes, Larmina was already strolling down the street towards them, an enormous sandwich clutched in one hand. "'Ow'dit go?" she asked around a mouthful.

"Oh, just peachy," Lance remarked drily, eyeing her food with longing. She had gotten a triple turkey, ham and bacon with all the fixings. He'd gotten a weepy woman, a scarily small baby and almost an hour of uncomfortable small talk. At least, it was uncomfortable for him.

"Were they cute?" She went to wipe her mouth on her sleeve before changing her mind at Allura's pointed throat-clearing. "I bet they were cute."

Leading the small party back towards the road to the castle, Allura grinned. "Adorable, actually. Almost as cute as the panic attack Lance had when I gave him a baby to hold."

"Hey! I've never held a baby before," he defended. "What if I broke one by holding it wrong?"

After they were done laughing at him, Allura and Larmina shared a mischievous grin. "Just wait until it's your baby, Lance," Allura teased. "You won't be able to put it down."

He shot her a glare. "Oh sure, laugh at the dumb guy. Go on- ha ha. That right there is why I'm never having kids. Guys like me… we're just not meant for that stuff."

Allura opened her mouth but was beaten to the punch by Larmina. "What makes you so sure there's not a few mini yous running around out there right now?"

"Larmina!" Allura admonished, horrified. Her niece scoffed.

"Oh, come on. Look, that fancy finishing school you shipped me off to last summer explained everything, even if we all already knew what that snobby teacher was talking about. Gods, you act like I'm some oblivious kid. It's just sex."

Both Lance and Allura cringed. This was not a discussion either wanted to be having with a sixteen year old princess. "Well, er… yeah. If you're going to do it, wrap it up, kid," Lance muttered uncomfortably. "And the reason I know there's no Baby McClains out there is because I always wrapped it up." He quailed at Allura's furious head shaking. "And, uh, because you should wait for true love and marriage and pre-marital sex is bad?" How the hell had this conversation started again? he thought bewilderedly.

"You are an Arusian princess," Allura began awkwardly, knowing her cheeks were flaming. "It is expected… demanded, really… that you remain pure until your marriage." She raised a hand when Larmina opened her mouth. "I know it has become more culturally acceptable for women to be, uh, intimate outside of marriage, but that is a very few women, and a very new phenomenon, and still looked on with contempt by the majority of our society. As a member of the royal family, not only should you hold yourself to higher standards, but our people hold you to higher standards as well." She sucked in a deep breath. "So please, Larmina, remain pure until your wedding night."

The girl shook her head in astonishment. "You know, you guys are old, but you're not that old. I can't _believe_ you are this stodgy and old-fashioned." Turning on a heel, Larmina set off at a determined clip for the castle, not really caring if they yelled at her for not waiting. Spirits, she was _not_ having a sex talk with Lance and her aunt.

Lance and Allura watched her stalk away, rooted side by side to the ground. "That would be another reason I'm never having kids," he said, scratching nervously at his jaw. "That sucked. A lot. And I'm not even sure how it happened."

Allura shuddered. She had not been prepared for that conversation at all. Shaking it off, she focused on Lance's inference. "I think you're wonderful with the cadets," she replied. "And when you were around when Larmina was younger, you were amazing with her, even when she was… being difficult." Those early years had been more than difficult, they'd been occasionally hellish. She'd been a traumatized, willful child, equally prone to fits of temper and long bouts of withdrawal. Where Coran, Nanny, Allura and all of the tutors and specialists they'd brought in had failed, Lance had succeeded. Sometimes, at least. "You were meant to have children someday."

He snorted, glancing at her out of the side of his eye. "Look, you know the kind of family I came from. You know the kind of danger Voltron Force are in all the time. I'm not going to even put a semi-serious girlfriend through that shit. Why would I put an innocent kid through that?" He plowed a big hand through his hair, the leather of his jacket creaking ominously. "I've got my reasons, Allura. You may think they're stupid, and you may not agree with me, but I think I'm just meant to be the cool uncle. I'll play with the kids the rest of you guys have."

The urge to shut her mouth, to leave the conversation there was nearly overwhelming, but Allura just couldn't stop herself. Meddling had always been one of her worst traits. "I think you're supposed to hold your own babies someday, Lance, even if you don't. And the first time you do, I am going to be there telling you 'I told you so' and gloating." She grinned. "The part I can't wait to see is what kind of woman is crazy enough to have babies with Lance McClain, daredevil pilot and all-around smartass."

Lance gave her a strange look, opened his mouth, and then simply walked away, following Larmina's receding figure up the road. And to top it all off, his damn stomach was still growling.

* * *

><p>AN: Funnily enough, I was taken by surprise by the sex talk, too. Not at all what was on my chapter outline, but hey- sometimes you just gotta roll with it, right? Anyways, I hope everyone liked it. I for one giggle every time I picture Lance holding an infant, marveling that it's sort of like a running back holding a football. :)

Reviews are love!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: So I've been without internet for about a week now, and I'm miserable! I used the time to write a monster chapter, and since I'm borrowing an internet connection to upload this, I'm giving it to you guys as one giant chapter instead of two normal sized ones. Fingers crossed the internet is restored this coming week. Curse that hurricane.

I hope you enjoy it, and I really hope you review!

* * *

><p>Allura walked into the dining hall trailed by a Galaxy Alliance emissary, dictating terms on Arus' position on Wade's incarceration. It wasn't until she'd taken her seat at the head of the table and tried to shift her chair forward, only to freeze with a wince, that Keith leapt to his feet.<p>

"Let me help you," he murmured, pushing her chair in gently. "Are you feeling any better?"

"I'm fine, Keith," she protested, accepting the pen from the emissary and scrawling her signature across the bottom of the document he held with a flourish. "I saw Doctor Gorma, and he said it's just a strained muscle. I'll be sore for a few days, but there's no real harm done."

"Not for lack of trying," Keith mumbled as he retook his seat.

That was enough to send Lance, seated on Allura's left and directly across from Keith, heaving to his feet, white-knuckled fists propped on the table. He'd been touchy all day, snapping at everyone from the cadets to the Arusian Defense Force soldier that had asked him to sign an acquisition form for more fuel. "And what's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Picking up his fork, Keith stared up at Lance evenly. "Exactly what it sounded like. _You _pushed the princess too far this morning, and she got hurt. Just like I warned." If there was one thing guaranteed to infuriate Keith, it was any threat to Allura. His blue eyes narrowed. "Maybe Wade's not the only one she needs protecting from."

Oh, that was _it_. He'd had enough of Keith and his snide little insinuations, the barbed remarks that got a little more pointed each day. "And _maybe_ I've had enough of you, _Commander_," Lance sneered. "Maybe you should just mind your own dam-"

Oh geez. Here they went again. A guy couldn't even eat his dinner anymore in peace. Hunk cleared his throat. "Turkey's great, Allura," he said loudly, drowning out Lance's angry retort. "Really awesome. You should try some."

"Yeah," Pidge jumped in quickly, eyes ping-ponging back and forth between Keith and Lance. "Cook did a great job on dinner tonight. I was thinking, if it's okay with you, that I'd help the cadets work on their programming skills after dinner. I'll need to take over the classroom, of course. That's okay, right?" Plus, the time with the cadets would have the added bonus of not having to listen to Keith and Lance continue their seemingly endless war of words. It was really starting to get on his nerves, and he knew Hunk felt the same way.

Sharing a quick look of understanding, Vince and Daniel began nodding vigorously. "That'd be great. We could definitely use the practice, maybe on the video game," Vince blurted. "Or the subsystem. Ooh! How about the internal configurations of the Lions? That'd be awesome!"

Larmina watched the antics unfolding and shook her head in amazement, not bothering to say anything at all. Instead, she speared another bite of asparagus. Why everyone else kept trying to stop Keith and Lance was beyond her. She figured it was pretty much inevitable at this point. Keith wanted his old status back, even expected it. Lance had taken over that position and didn't want to give it back. "Honestly, it'd be better if they just beat the crap outta each other and get it over with," she muttered to herself as the table was reduced to a cacophony of dueling voices. "It'd be so much easier and quicker than all this macho posturing crap."

"_Hey_!" The silence that fell immediately was thick and fraught with the electric potential of an oncoming storm. Lance banged a fist on the table, still leaning over far enough that his jacket was in danger of sweeping the food from his plate. "I did _not_ put Allura in danger, Keith," he bit out, a muscle in his jaw jumping erratically. "Just because _you_ always want to wrap her up in fluffy clouds and keep her safe doesn't mean she's not capable of training like the rest of us. Larmina was pushing more weight than that, for gods' sake. Training accidents happen, and strained muscles are nothing new to any of us. It was an appropriate weight level for her."

"I think I know what I'm talking about," Keith replied calmly in the face of Lance's wrath. "It's my job to know my pilots' limits." Glancing out of the corner of his eye at Allura, Keith reminded himself to remain cool and collected. It would do nobody any favors if he rose to Lance's baiting.

Lance snorted. Oh, that was rich. "Really? Because I think while you were off playing rebel hero and hanging out on beach resort worlds with smugglers, I was bouncing between Galaxy Garrison and here twice a week _every_ week for seven years, Keith. How's that stack up to your outdated knowledge of Allura's limits?" What an ass, he thought uncharitably. The depths of Keith's arrogance when it came to him knowing better than Lance, who'd been pulling both his _and_ Keith's duties for seven flipping years, was unbelievable.

The growling of Allura's stomach reminded her that she was starving, had missed almost half of dinner, and had still yet to even pick up her fork. She stood and pressed Lance back into his seat with a gentle but firm hand. "I said I was fine. It's a strained hamstring, guys. There's nothing to argue about. Now if you don't mind, I'd really like to try the turkey Hunk said was so delicious."

Both men ignored her, continuing to stare one another down from their seats. "First of all, I was not 'hanging out' on beach resort planets- I was making contacts and following leads, trying to get Black Lion back for all of us, and I'm tired of telling you that." It was impossible talking to Lance sometimes. Once he got something in his head, trying to change his mind was about as easy as swinging a sword without hands. "Look, you push. I get it- you always have. But just because you've got to press limits doesn't mean you need to goad Allura or anyone else into it, too. When you're constantly pushing, Lance, you'll frequently fail. Sometimes it's more prudent to build slowly, take your time. We're just reinstituting physical training. There was no need to bump anyone's weights yet." The constant strain of trying to nicely reclaim his command was wearing on him. Maybe it was just time to give it to Lance straight. He'd always done better when things were laid out clearly for him in black and white terms. Holding Lance's gaze, he added, "And if you were half the leader you think you are, you would have realized that."

The poor emissary, who'd been frozen in place at Allura's shoulder, quickly found his senses and made his bows to Allura, backing away from the table and making a beeline for the door.

"I hope you're both happy now," Allura snapped, following the man from the room with her eyes. "Now our business is going to be discussed with every Alliance lackey that man comes across." She stabbed into her meat with a vengeance. "The two of you need to stop. Keith, I'm fine. Lance was not pushing me too hard, and I'm an adult and perfectly capable of making my own decisions and telling him 'no' if I need to. Lance, stop being so sensitive. Keith was expressing his opinion, and he's entitled to his as much as you are to yours. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to eat my dinner in peace." A bite of turkey poised on her fork, she shot each of them a challenging look. "Unless either of you has anything _important_ to say. No? Good."

The two glared at one another across the table, a shared look that said this would be revisited later, in private.

* * *

><p>Allura followed Keith's rigid shoulders through the doorway to the lounge and waited with a pointed expression until the others got the idea. Pidge quickly made his excuses and dragged the cadets out with him and Hunk, who'd flopped on the couch, took only a minute to gather up an armful of magazines and follow suit, muttering something about wanting to hit the rack early. She turned back to Keith. "I'd like to talk to you, please."<p>

Shrugging eloquently, Keith gestured for her to take a seat before he lowered himself on the couch next to her. "Look, Allura, I know what you're going to say. I was out of line at dinner. I'm sorry."

"I know things have been… difficult for you since you came back, Keith," she began tentatively. "I know a lot changed while you were gone, and it must be hard to do what you did for so long and come back expecting to be welcomed with waiting arms." She raised a hand when he opened his mouth. "Please, Keith, let me finish. We need you. You know that, and I know you've been working very hard to reestablish your relationship with everyone. I think you've been doing a wonderful job." Fidgeting with her voltcom, Allura looked down. "But things were very hard for the guys under Wade. Lance especially. He was forced to do a lot of things he didn't want to do, all while shielding Pidge and Hunk and coming home to help me, in addition to running the entire Flight Academy. He had a lot of responsibility, and suddenly being thrust back into the role of second chair is a very hard thing to swallow." Her lips quirked. "Especially for someone with an ego as large as Lance's."

Now he even had to listen to Allura defending Lance? Unbelievable, Keith thought sourly. "We discussed all of this between the two of us before I left, Allura. I told Lance exactly what he would be up against, and he knew that anything that happened while I was gone would have no bearing on our team once I returned." He consciously forced his clenched hands to relax. "He can't have things his way now just because he likes how things were while I was gone."

Leaning in to him, Allura laid a consoling hand on Keith's arm. "It wasn't just a two week jaunt, Keith. You were gone for seven years, with only encrypted messages and requests for money to let us all know you were still alive and on-mission. From Lance's perspective, he's been in charge longer than you were. It's going to take some time for him to re-acclimate himself."

"Screw Lance!" Keith suddenly burst out, rocketing to his feet as an astonished-looking Allura leaned back. "I am so tired of everything being about Lance! I have tried and tried and tried again to reestablish team rapport, but Lance just has to keep opening his big mouth and ruining everything."

Carefully standing, Allura closed the gap between them, laying her hands on his chest. "You _are_ doing a good job, Keith, even if it's hard for you to see it right now. And the team needs you. I think you're underestimating your value- your contacts and experience are what helped you guys defeat Wade on Earth. Even if I disagreed with that mission and the reasons for it, I'm big enough to admit that we all are safer for Wade being removed from power. But Lotor and his mad scientist are still out there, and we both know that things are still very, very dangerous right now. If ever there was a time for in-fighting, this would _not_ be it."

The unique scent of Allura, a flowery perfume that he'd never smelled on another woman in all his travels, teased Keith's nose. Gently clasping her hands where they rested on his chest, he closed his eyes briefly and breathed in. This was something else he'd missed. Desperately. The feel of Allura touching him, the look in her eyes as she spoke to him- he'd never taken it for granted, but it was something he'd come to expect back before Wade had sabotaged the Lions. He'd always known how she felt, because he felt the same. "Allura," Keith said softly, his hands tightening as he fought the impulse to lean down that small distance and press a kiss to those soft lips. Hardening his resolve, slamming those impulses away behind an iron will, Keith dropped her hands. "I'm trying my best. But somebody needs to talk to Lance about dialing the attitude back a few notches, and that somebody's probably you." It pained him to admit to the next part, but Keith bit out the words anyway. "You're really the only one he listens to."

Allura swallowed hard past the sudden, painful lump in her chest. No one, and she meant no one, had missed Keith more than she had. There had been many a night she'd gone to sleep in tears, and many more she'd lain awake worrying about his safety, and whether he still cared for her, and whether things would change when he came home- because she'd never allowed herself to think that he wouldn't return. Keith simply didn't fail, and he wouldn't fail her in this. And yet from the very first day he'd come back, he'd been brushing off her gestures, pretending he didn't understand the welcoming hugs and gentle smiles she constantly bestowed on him. It was finally starting to creep into her mind like an insidious poison that maybe his feelings had changed. "I'll speak with him," she choked out, trying to suppress the tears that wanted to spring to her eyes.

Stepping back, Keith nodded and pretended not to see the well of pain in her green-grass eyes. It was better this way, he told himself firmly. Nothing had changed, at least not where Allura was concerned, except that it was harder now to force himself to look away, to let go. "Okay. I'll let you talk to him before he and I have a private discussion."

"Keith-" Allura pleaded, a hand raised in supplication. "Please. Just give it time."

He shook his head. "No, Allura. He and I are going to talk, and it's going to be soon. Because as much as his ego is driving me nuts right now, it's his willingness to constantly endanger you that we need to talk about. You're a princess. He needs to stop trying to turn you into a soldier."

Oh, now that got Allura's back up. "So is Larmina," she pointed out regally. "I don't see you getting indignant on her behalf, Keith." Sniffing, Allura took her own step back. "As much as you want things to go back to the way they were, I need you to understand something. I'm not a girl anymore, something to be protected, Keith. I am the de facto ruler of an entire planet, a respected head of state, and a fine pilot in my own right. I think I'm capable of taking care of a little pulled muscle."

The urge to smile was overwhelming. "I know, Allura," he replied with a grin. "You're the strongest woman I know. But it's my job to protect you and all of my pilots. And that includes keeping you healthy and on my active roster. So we'll be having that chat soon, because I can't lose you." He cleared his throat sharply when her eyes widened. "As a pilot. I can't lose you as a pilot."

Allura smiled softly as she left the lounge, ignoring the silly urge to start humming.

* * *

><p>The argument at dinner had sapped the last of Lance's desire to be around the team that day, and instead of heading for the lounge with the rest of the group, he veered off at the central corridor. He needed time alone to get his temper back in check, because if Keith sent him one more superior, judging look, he was going to lose it. Big time.<p>

Aimless wandering of the corridors had never really been his thing until he'd taken over the Flight Academy, and then the habit had been born of necessity. It had felt like people were constantly hunting him down twenty-four hours a day for stupid, pointless crap. _Can so-and-so do this? Has Cadet XYZ taken Test 123? Are the sims on Deck 712 operational yet? Why not? Did you contact Maintenance? When's the last time Ship ABC had its weapons systems field stripped? Instructor Blah Blah is pregnant and needs to go on maternity leave._ _Are the budgets submitted yet?_ It never ended. Three in the morning? Banging on his door. Middle of breakfast? Pulling him out of the chow line. In a meeting with Wade and the other big brass? Paged down to the flight deck. His precious free hour before dinner? Hounded relentlessly.

Lance had learned to cope by just taking his damned communicator off and leaving it on his assistant's desk and going for a very, very long walk. He never had a plan, because plans led to regularity, and regularity led to predictability. Instead, he drifted from floor to floor and fielded a few random questions about Voltron, and his flight rating when he was in the Academy, and how to help some cadet up his accuracy levels. Nothing big, nothing hard, just a few words and then he could amble on.

It was a hard habit to break, too. When he'd accepted Wade's offer to head up the Flight Academy, Lance had asked that he be allowed four weekend furloughs a month and four floating twenty-four hour leave of absences. Surprisingly, the suspicious old windbag had laughed and agreed. 'Off to Arus for some tail, are we? Must be good, if you need to be there that frequently.'

Lance had grinned, figuring Wade could think whatever the hell he wanted so long as he granted the terms. And when he'd gotten to Arus that first time, he'd been true to his word, stopping in to visit an old friend for some fun in Altair before heading back to the castle for dinner and to spend time with Allura. He'd never dreamed she would be such a wreck about Keith and the Lions and everything, and it had taken hours of talking and joking and hand-holding before she'd been even marginally calm. When he'd finally gotten her quieted down and packed off to bed, he'd settled himself in his old bedroom only to discover that he couldn't lie still on the mattress, the room too silent, too empty. Hours of thrashing about and wishing he could just fall asleep had finally prompted him to get up and roam around.

Ever since, when he was too worked up to sleep, he'd wander the castle until his brain slowed down and his legs got heavy. If he was close to his room, he'd go there, but Coran or Nanny or Allura had found him on more than one occasion sprawled out in a chair in the control room, or on the lounge couch, or once, very memorably, snoring in the seat of a castle defense laser unit. The memory made him smile- Nanny had had a fit on that one, yapping on and on about him accidently firing off a shot and hitting an innocent villager. He'd bit his tongue and taken the scolding instead of explaining that the units all had to be optically unlocked and manually activated before they could fire.

It was some time before Lance found himself near the control room, and he figured he should at least take a quick look inside to see if whoever had the night watch needed anything. To his surprise, Coran was seated before the central comms desk, industriously taking notes on the giant sheaf of papers he was reading. Shrugging, Lance headed in. "You know, Coran, if Nanny was still here at the Castle, she'd bust your ass but good for reading in such crappy light."

Without looking up, Coran smiled. "Yes, I believe she would. Of course, when you live with a woman like Nanny for as many years as I did, you become somewhat inured to the criticism."

Lance laughed. "All the shitty parts of a marriage without any of the benefits, right?" When Coran's pen froze and his ears reddened, Lance almost fell down in his shock. "You _didn't_," he gasped, clutching his stomach. Oh, sweet spirits, he was _never_ going to let Coran live this down. "With _Nanny_?"

"We were both single, and it was at a time when a little physical comfort was needed for the both of us," Coran defended, setting his papers down to frown over his shoulder at the hysterically laughing pilot. "And I certainly don't think you have any room to be questioning others' morals, Commander. I seem to recall more than a few nights when you stumbled back into the castle quite late. Or early, as it was."

Flinging up his hands, Lance laughed harder. "Hey, you'll get no grief from me, Coran. But Nanny? Even after all the yelling and haranguing and lecturing she dished out to you over the years?" He waved Coran off, still snuffling back the occasional burst of laughter. "No, you're right. To each their own. Sorry." Boy, Nanny was a champion at nagging and sermonizing, Lance thought. She had Keith beat by a mile. The smile faded, and Lance folded himself into a chair at the comms desk with a heavy sigh. "Coran, can I ask you something?"

"Of course," the ambassador replied as he shuffled through the papers in his hands and began to take notes again.

"Back when you were part of the Voltron Force, was there ever any… dissention?"

Coran looked up, his work momentarily forgotten. "I was never truly a part of Voltron, Lance. Much like the cadets today, I was apprenticing under King Alfor's leadership, and only for a very brief time before the incident with Haggar."

Lance nodded slowly. "Okay, never knew that, but still- Did any of you ever get into it? I mean really into it? Not the petty little squabbles any team goes through. Big, fat, nobody-wins fights."

An alert beeped from the central mainframe, and Coran paused to ascertain the incoming message wasn't urgent. "No," he said finally. "Nothing serious, and nothing approaching the level of discord between you and Keith lately."

Ducking his head, Lance picked at a ragged fingernail. "Keith's really the only commander I've ever had," he sighed. "At least, the only one I ever thought of as a commander in my head. And he's a good one. Was a good one," he amended absently, still worrying the jagged edge of the nail. "He's my friend, one of my oldest, closest friends, and all I want to do lately is punch him in the face every time he opens his mouth. He thinks he can just roll back in after seven years and have everything be exactly the same. It's not, though."

The smile that tilted Coran's mouth was pensive. "You mean you're not the same? I would agree that you have matured tremendously, Lance. You have had to shoulder an enormous load with your duties in the Alliance and leading the team in their efforts to create an underground network. I can't imagine how much more pressure you must have felt coming home to Arus as frequently as you did." A snort of laughter escaped him. "The spirits know most men would have found an excuse to stay away in those early years."

That earned Coran a laugh from Lance. "Yeah, Larmina was a little pain in the a- butt," he amended quickly. "But she was just a kid, Coran. None of what happened to her was her fault. Besides, sometimes it was fun. Plus, I got to leave. You and Allura had to deal with everything day in, day out."

"Those were trying times." Shaking his head, Coran stroked a finger thoughtfully along his mustache. "But while Larmina was a handful, I was referring to the princess', er, difficulties accepting the plan in the beginning."

Boy, was that the understatement of the century, Lance thought wryly. Allura had been a complete mess after the Lions had gone 'rogue' and Wade appropriated them. The thought that the galaxy believed Voltron to be dangerous, coupled with the plan to disband the team and Keith's decision to go after Black Lion alone had left Allura an emotional wreck. "Yeah, she was kind of weepy for awhile there, wasn't she?"

Coran sighed. "I think you understand how hard for her it all was. And regardless of how much we cared for her, Nanny and I were never her confidants by then. It means a great deal to me, and to the princess, Lance, that you made yourself available to her without fail. I know she felt like everyone was abandoning her by that point. Having you come home like clockwork helped to keep her faith in the team's plan alive."

Those first few weeks had sucked- hard. The plan had been for Keith and Pidge to be the good soldiers and fall back under Wade's regime, and Lance and Hunk to go the outlaw route to find and free Black Lion. But the reality was Keith was a shitty liar, and there was no way a guy like Wade would buy it without a very convincing show. Bottom line? Lance was the better liar, and so he got the honor of kowtowing to that smug old windbag for years, while Keith got to jet around the galaxy free as a bird. "It was a good break for me, too," Lance admitted. "I spent every waking moment at Galaxy Garrison testifying and debriefing and being interrogated and tested and poked and prodded. I had to lie creatively, and consistently, from the moment they woke me to the second I passed out at night. By the time Wade believed me and offered me the Flight Academy, all I wanted was to get away. Coming back to Arus gave me that time, Coran. I didn't do it all for Allura." _At least at first_, Lance thought. When he'd come home that first time and seen the state she was in, he resolved to be there as much as he could get away with.

The older man nodded thoughtfully. "And to bring the discussion back around to your initial question, you feel like you bore the vast majority of the responsibility of leadership in Keith's absence, and his return with the assumption that things would return to how they had been is straining your relationship."

Lance rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you could say that," he replied dryly.

"I've never experienced that particular conflict myself," Coran admitted, sitting back. It seemed Lance was here for advice, and that was something that he was good at. But it took time, and these chairs weren't the most comfortable in the castle on his old bones. "But I can tell you about the time I watched my king and the pilot of the Red Lion get into so heated an argument that King Alfor threatened to kick them off the team entirely."

"When you flew with Alfor all those years ago, when Haggar shattered Voltron into the five Lions, what exactly happened?" Lance interrupted. "I mean, to all of you. Those fluffy prophecies and 'historical' accounts are more vague about the details than a politician caught with his pants down."

With a weak smile Coran teased, "Still finding Senator Chiu's predicament amusing, I see." Tension suddenly began to pull at the muscles in his shoulders, and Coran took a deep, deliberate breath to relax himself. "It's not something I like to talk about," he said quietly. "It was a difficult time, made more so by the loss of my fellow pilots and my king."

"Please, Coran," Lance replied softly, staring down at his clenched hands. "I think if I could figure out how King Alfor's team did it, I could figure out how to fix things between me and Keith."

It was impossible to decline a request like that, and Coran took a fortifying breath. "When the witch Haggar tricked us, we realized it almost immediately. I had only taken a position in the Blue Lion a few days prior, observing, not actually manning the controls. The others had been flying the Lions for much longer, and Zarkon had begun increasing the frequency and intensity of his attacks. We lost many people, even entire villages. King Alfor had held a meeting of the pilots, and the Red Lion's pilot had had enough."

Lance felt a surge of pride. Good- he was glad it was Red's pilot who understood that constantly playing defense meant you were always vulnerable, always in the position of having to react instead of act. "He told the king off and demanded they go after Zarkon, huh?"

Coran waved a hand. "Not exactly- but they made an excellent case for heading out and preemptively acting, a plan King Alfor overruled based on the defensive nature of Voltron's mission. His argument was predicated on the theory that if they acted now without direct provocation, there was nothing to stop them or future teams from acting as they saw fit, and Voltron was never meant to become a vigilante.

The Red Lion's pilot was incensed, and the two argued incessantly for days. Things were incredibly tense. At one point, I thought they might actually come to physical blows."

"King Alfor?" Lance asked dubiously. "Really? 'Cause whenever I've seen the guy's spirit, he always seems like a pretty mellow, regal guy."

"He was," Coran confirmed. "Stately, gentle, patient. But Red Lion seems to favor somewhat impetuous pilots, and this was no exception. If I remember correctly, a wine goblet was thrown at our king's head. A full one." A wistful look ghosted across his face. "It was the only time I ever recall King Alfor threatening someone. They were at one another's throats day and night until, finally, King Alfor agreed to put it to a vote." His eyes clouded with regret. "It was three to two in favor of acting against Zarkon. When we reached space, we encountered Haggar's illusion as Goddess, and…" He faltered. "You know the rest."

Frowning, Lance pushed the hair off his forehead. "I know Alfor died in that attack, and I know when we reached Arus, there hadn't been any pilots for a long time." He hesitated, knowing he was overstepping his bounds. "Did all the others die that day, too?"

"Yes," the old man whispered, eyes closing momentarily in grief. "I was the only survivor, and only because I was strapped into the back seat of Blue Lion. Had I been at the controls, I would have met the same fate as the others. But King Alfor did not die in his Lion- he sustained mortal wounds, but he survived for almost an entire day after the crash." Coran's voice wavered. "Had we had better medical equipment available, maybe he could have… but our hospitals had already been destroyed in earlier assaults, and the castle's facilities piece-mealed out to the people hiding in the cave systems. There was nothing we could do except wait."

Nodding, Lance sat quietly, looking at the bank of blank monitors in front of them. "Alfor piloted Black, right?" At Coran's nod, he frowned. "Okay, the Archives back at Galaxy Garrison have a big, gaudy plaque for Green, Yellow and Blue's pilots, so I assume they were off-worlders selected from the Alliance, but who drove Red? I always wondered that, but couldn't find any files in any of the databases."

"You wouldn't have," Coran said. "After… the crash, I had my king dying in the infirmary, death arrangements to make for the other pilots, and a small orphaned princess to consider, as well as an advancing Doom fleet. Things had to be done quickly. I sent word to the Alliance about those pilots who were Earthlings, and prepared a state funeral as best and quickly as I could."

"For Alfor?"

Coran was silent for a long pause. "And Amra," he said heavily. "Amra was the pilot of the Red Lion."

Lance's eyebrows shot nearly into his hairline. "_Queen_ Amra?" he echoed incredulously. "Red had Allura's mother at the stick?" When Alfor nodded, he stared at the older man, dumbfounded. "Allura's mother was the one who talked Alfor into going up that day? Seriously? And threw a wine glass at his head?"

"Yes." Coran smiled regretfully at the memory. "The queen was a passionate woman. She felt very strongly that the people of Arus, and her own child, were not safe as long as Zarkon was allowed to live. Queen Amra never in my memory argued as ferociously or raised her hand in violence to anyone other than that fight. She made sure her case was heard, and many of us agreed, though only the five pilots had a vote that day. Regardless, we all shared in the fault- we had allowed Zarkon and Haggar too much time to plan. I arranged the funerals, and when Allura asked what became of her parents, I couldn't bear to tell her that her mother had not only died in that failed assault, but had been the one to instigate it."

The story was mindboggling. Why hadn't any of them ever heard any of this before? Lance frowned. "What _did_ you tell her?"

"That _I_ was piloting the Red Lion," Coran said with a heavy sigh. "That King Alfor had died protecting the planet and people he loved, and that her mother had died in the following ground attack from Zarkon's forces. The pilots' identities were a closely guarded secret in those days. All I had to do was erase all of our records of Amra's piloting, and being the only survivor, there was no one to gainsay me."

"But why?" Lance asked plaintively. "Why not just tell her the truth? All those years when she was lonely and felt like she wasn't tough enough to protect her people, all you had to do was tell her that she was the daughter of not one, but two warriors." He just didn't get it. Anyone who knew Allura at all knew that she'd spent most of her life trying to prove to herself that she was strong enough as a person and a ruler to protect Arus.

"Because she is our princess," came the simple reply. "She was all we had left, and I needed to protect her not just physically, but emotionally. I contacted Orla, Amra's sister, and she swore to never reveal Amra's status as a Voltron Force member, and I knew Nanny would never breathe a word to anyone."

"Why does everyone want to coddle her?" Lance exploded. "You, Keith- I just don't get it! Allura's a person, not a piece of blown glass. If you constantly shield her from everything, how is she supposed to grow, be better, stronger, smarter?"

"I think she has become astonishingly capable on her own, Lance. She is a woman, and a princess fit for any kingdom. I have not treated her with kid gloves for many years. In fact, I think it is she who treats me gently these days." Rising, he laid a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "I understand you and Keith are struggling to establish a new relationship in many ways, not just as members of the Voltron Force. You both care for Allura in your own ways, but I fear you let your… imagined competition for her exceed your good sense. Allura does not need a protector, nor does she need a taskmaster. She needs two leaders, two extraordinary pilots and teammates, to help her negotiate the treacherous waters of Wade, Lotor, and an Alliance rattled by betrayal and corruption. Do not let love or jealousy override your duty, Lance, please. I have seen what love corrupted becomes." Coran breathed in deeply, suddenly looking much, much older than his actual age. "And while Wade is highly intelligent and a fearsome enemy, I fear what would become of you in similar circumstances much, much more."

Lance scoffed. "Seriously, Coran? You need to lay off those late night holo-dramas, 'cause they are totally warping your brain if you think I'm going to end up crossing over to the dark side and becoming some Über-Wade."

"No, Lance." Coran's grasp on Lance's shoulder tightened. "You asked for my advice tonight. I try to stay out of the personal affairs of the Voltron Force, and I have since Allura reached her majority and flatly ordered me to stop trying to procure her a suitable husband. But I have known you, and Allura, and Keith for many years. I know there are… complicated feelings on all sides." His eyes begged Lance to listen, and understand. "Nothing in the galaxy is more dangerous than love spurned. It can simmer and shift and explode into the most destructive hate imaginable. So please tell me you understand. Tell me that you and Keith will resolve your differences like adults, and that you will not let this competition between the two of you endanger Allura."

"Whoa." Lance sat back, raising his hands defensively. "I don't love Allura, not like you're thinking, and Keith's been gone entirely for years, Coran. This little love triangle you're imagining is just that- imagined. My problem is that Keith thinks he can just mosey back in, take over everything again and order us all around like flying monkeys just because he's the 'leader.' Well, he's not anymore, at least not the way he used to be. I like what I was doing. I'm good at it- damn good, and I'm not stepping aside because Commander Keith has ridden back in on his shining black steed and declared that he's got it without even checking to see what really went on daily in his absence." Lance shrugged. "I'm not content with just being second-in-command anymore. I like being in charge of the cadets, and I like being the one Allura turns to for support and advice. All I want is for Keith to realize that we can each have our areas of responsibility, but he keeps steamrolling into everything without even talking to me."

"And… that is what all this constant warring is about? Simply the dynamics of leadership?" Coran shook his head. "I don't think so, Lance. Perhaps that is most of it, but…" He trailed off thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "Maybe you are correct," he admitted finally. "I clearly was mistaken."

"Okay." Lance crossed his arms and eyed Coran suspiciously. The older man never gave up a point that easily, even when he was wrong. Occupational hazard of ambassadorship.

Sometimes restraint was the key to diplomacy, Coran thought as he made his goodnights to the still wary-eyed pilot and began the long walk back to his bed chamber. He would give Lance an opportunity to consider everything he had said, and hope that he would arrive at the correct outcome. If not, then perhaps a conversation with both the pilots of the Red and Black Lions would be in order.

Because Coran was certain of one thing- if things continued as they had been, it would turn ugly quickly. Keith was a man of deep emotions, and he had been starry-eyed over Allura since she was little more than a girl. Seven years apart would not have changed that. Lance, on the other hand, had already had a solid, close friendship with the princess when the Voltron Force had disbanded, and had religiously made the flight to see and spend time with her every week until his final decampment to Arus with Daniel and Vince. Sick, on assignment, against direct orders- he had never missed a single visit. Coran frowned. And that level of devotion never came without love.

Even if the people involved were unaware of it.


End file.
